Hanxter

From The Associated Press:

Feb 5, 9:39 AM EST

Judge Says Clarett Can Be in NFL Draft

By LARRY NEUMEISTER
Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- Suspended Ohio State tailback Maurice Clarett was ruled eligible for the draft Thursday by a federal judge who concluded that an NFL rule barring eligibility violates antitrust laws.

U.S. District Judge Shira A. Scheindlin in Manhattan ordered the NFL to let Clarett participate in this year's NFL draft.

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The_Dude

wow.........this could really screw up the system!

shit shit shit.

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djtestudo

This really sucks. The NFL isn't the NBA. 95% of players need more time after high school to prepare for the NFL. You need to be bigger, stronger, and faster then most people are in high school.

Besides, look at what this is doing to the NBA. Players don't learn how to play with a team when everyone is about the same ability. They don't learn basic skills, and they spend several years learning in the NBA when they could do it in college without wasting space.

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Dostoevsky

While I agree with the points you made above there is another side to the story. If a player is talented enough to enter the draft and be selected by a team and given a contract, who is the NFL to restrict employment based on arbitrary age law. I realize there is a special need for size and strength in football but still, if a player is good enough to be drafted than I think they should have that option regardless of age. Other professional sports draft players as young as 14 and 15, granted, they have minor leagues to develop in but still. I'll never agree with the NFL restricting someone's fundamental right to earn a wage and it appears the court system will finally straighten this mess out.

Let me ask you dissenters this....What would you do if you were a star high-school or college athlete and you had to make the decision to jump into the draft or go continue playing at an amateur level? Would you turn down guaranteed millions and risk an injury playing amateur sports that would prevent you from ever making the money you could have? I would take the money. I will never criticize anyone for taking the money when they can because sports careers can be short lived and athletes never know how long they will be able to play. If you need to blame someone for the deteriation of skills in professional sports perhaps we should blame ourselves as fans for continuing to pay exorbinant prices to attend games and support teams when we are unhappy with skill levels. By doing so we send an economic message that things are OK.

Just my thoughts... What do you think??

-Dostoevsky

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dragon2fire

this is the reason that basketball is dieing



bad idea here

JoeyB

Survival of the fittest. If someone can survive after high school---let him.

Everyone knows the benefits of college, but look at the people who went all 4 years and still aren't successful in the pros. For some people, the best way to go is get into the NFL (or NBA or NHL or MLB) as soon as possible. It's better for them professionally and financially.

Clarett will succeed or fail based on his ability and work ethic. He should be given a chance to prove if he can succeed.

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The_Dude

what i hate about the ruling is that it could screw up college football FOREVER! omg! can you guys imagine life without college football?

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dragon2fire

i woud not worry about football being gone just the quailty going down

Spartak

The number of duds in the draft is going to jump waaaaaaaay up. At least college is a proving ground of some sort, but I can imagine a rookie straight out of high school making bad plays repeatedly because they can't handle the NFL.

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djtestudo

This is really going to hurt both the NFL and NCAA football. NCAA will lose a lot of huge prospects, and the NFL will start getting riskier players who are lees likely to pan out.

What I could see happening is the NFL using NFL Europe as a true farm league, and maybe building a minor league in America if this thing stands. That way, a player can still develop, but out of the way of the main NFL guys.

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archer2371

This is just bad all around. Clarett is a punk who only cares about himself and doesn't look at the big picture. This is going to effectively ruin football as we know it. This is just all bad.

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Doctor_Max

Giant problem: Most kids are too amaturish/young/undevloped to play in the NFL after high school. Sure, you get the occasional gem, but come on. How many first rounds do you see panning out in the NFL as it is? 65%? That number will probably be cut in half, or more.

BadForm

If Clarett doesn't get drafted in the first two rounds, the option of jumping early will be far less appealing to high school players. IMO he shoudn't go before the third round.

The only players who would be physically ready to make the jump are kickers and punters - may see more of them do it.

thephuse

Hopefully most players will have enought sense to avoid stupid decisions... A lot of Juniors that would have gone early in the draft chose not to, ie. Roy Williams last year. Hopefully players wont feel the need to exit early to join the pros, cuz as much as i like LeBron, him bein in the NCAA mita been excitin too.

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dragon2fire

cause lord know that 18 year old high school students are reknown for making smart choices

PorscheBunny

Quoting the article:


Three years after high school can be rather ambiguous. If a kid is homeschooled and leaves home at 16, does this mean his could be a 19-year-old in the NFL?

The Teamsters used to have (and may still do) a union rule where no one under 21 could do interstate trucking. While it was legal to be 18 and interstate driving, no insurance carrier would insure the driver to go interstate until 21, so it didn't happen.

If the NFL-NFLPA agreement set a true minimum age instead of a vague "three years after high school", then Clarett would never have had grounds. Given that Upshaw may be more resistent to the change that Clarett represents than even Tagliabue, maybe they need to a have meeting and amend their agreement as such.

If Clarett is present on draft day, he will almost certainly be blackballed the first 2 rounds. When finally drafted, there will be a bullseye on him his whole short career. If he stops this stupidity now, the NFL will welcome him with open arms in 2005. If not, he's be in Canada in 2006.

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harrybllz

This is not going to make a lot of difference in the draft or the league. THe Gm's in the league are relatively smart enough to make intelligent draft decisions. There are already college players that have declared early for the draft and not been drafted by any team. I just don't see this as being that important. There won't be that many guys that declare earlier than they have been, just watch.

JoeyB

a punk who cares only about himself?

He's PERFECT for the NFL.

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Parker

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=1727856

I hope this does not mess up Pro Football. Pretty soon we will have High School players going to the Pros, like basketball. Please let me know your thoughts.

Bigt6909

I really dont think that High School seniors will come out and declare themselves eligible for the NFL draft. It just doesnt seem to be too smart... think about the size difference in High schoolers and the NFL... especially on the line... and then think about the growth that occurs during college. The college programs help the players get bigger and better.

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skysooner

There will be a few who will try. It is unlikely it will have much of an impact just due to the difference in abilities between high school and a college junior/senior. There might be a few running backs who will do this, but I doubt it is widespread.

Cordachine007

I think that if they have the skill to enter the draft and actually get drafted, then let them. ESPN calling osu's Maurice Clarett a sensation is a bit overstated!!!! He sucked.

BullHazzer

Clarett was definitely overstated. In the four biggest games 2 seasons ago against the big tough opponents, he failed to produce. He ran big against the Northwestern defense but Iowa shut him down.

I don't think we need to worry about the NFL going the way of the NBA because it is not the NBA. The only high school players that could play in the NFL would have to be genetic freaks (not counting kickers). I highly doubt many NFL teams would be interested in any HS kid even if he was a phenom. Far to risky. And why risk it when you can get someone that has proven themselves for at least three years in a college program.

While I don't like the ruling, I'm not at all worried about it either.

H12

Couldn't agree more.

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Manwich

I think the sports analysts said that the running back position would probably be the only position the NFL might consider drafting early for. You don't need to know as much, just have talent. Don't know what happens in Europe or Canada though, they might not even get picked up there.

If Clarett actually gets in, the big kicker is that a few students that would have gotten a college education couldn't have. Other than that, I am sure other than phenoms like Larry Fitzgerald, most players will come from the college system, or Europe and Canada.

Artermis

This will not be nearly a problem as the NBA.

First off the NFL contracts are not guaranteed. Therefore players need to get their degree.

Secondly, HS kids who come to college get red shirted all the time because they are not ready physically for the rigors of college football...how they going to manage it against the pros?

Thirdly, half of the juniors who declare this year will not be drafted.

Lastly, the NFL and NCAA will have to reign even more the agents in order to assure that they do not try to ruin the game any more than they already do.


Art

nash

"I know guys are going to be gunning after him a little more because of all the stuff he has done.... Some people here see it as disrespectful. I'm sure guys are going to break his tail." -LaVar Arrington

bond007

it's obviously not the end of the world; but this is definitely bad for college football.

maximus

last time i checked, garnet is in the top 2 players in the league, and james and anthony are having fenominal years.

he should be givin the chance to pass or fail. last time i checked it was illegal to discriminate someone from employment because of their age.


i totall agree that he should be allowd to enter the draft. if he is a failure as a football player, they can say its because he left to early for the nfl. if he fails as a person, they can say he did not get the maturity he needed in college. but if he stays and breaks his leg next year at osu, they can say man i wish i would have goten to see him play in the nfl.

who are you to say that players dont learn the basic skills without college. pro sports are a profession just like every other job in the us, exept they are broadcast for everyone to see. does every person who goes into their profession have a 4 year internship to learn all the skills they need to learn to perform their job? and even with playing in college, these skills are not always learned. i am from PA, so sixers are my team, and no one will come to play with iverson because he does not pass the ball. that is teamwork that he is lacking. he is a top 5 player in the league and he lacks the fundamentals that make a team player and not a top player. he went to college, yet he doesnt come to practices. there are many many players in the league like this, this is just an extereme example. football is the same way, K.J., T.O., duce, and many others are players how must have missed all the maturity skills they "should have" gotten in college.


to all the dissers: Let Him Try. if he fails, he was doomed to fail. if he succedes, it was a fluke in the system. pass or fail he is a failure in your minds before he even got the chance to prove it.

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